Interesting Poll on Micro 4/3 Usage on mu43.com, and Why I Like Other Formats, Too

 

View Poll Results: How much of your shooting is done with a M4/3? 90% to 100% 45 64.29% 75% to 89% 15 21.43% 50% to 74% 4 5.71% 25% to 49% 3 4.29% 11% to 24% 2 2.86% 1% to 10% 0 0% 0% 1 1.43% Voters: 70. You may not vote on this poll

Data and Graph Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f35/how-much-your-shooting-done-m4-3-a-29954/

 
This is the current (as of July 22, 2012) result of a poll on mu-43.com, regarding what percentage of respondents' pictures are taken with a Micro 4/3 (M4/3) camera. By the time this is posted on DMC-365, it will be different.
 
(Click Here) to see the latest results on mu-43.com.
 
I personally fall into the 75%-89% category at this point. That's impressive, given that I have so many other format cameras that I love to use. In fact, I'm currently wrestling with the urge for another Leica, interested in the Fujifilm XPro-1, and just completed a week-long film challenge. I'm anything but a single format photographer.
 
Currently, 60% of respondents indicate that they use M4/3 75% or more of the time. I think this means that M4/3 has really arrived. Of course, the 70 people who responded so far are preselected by the fact that they are reading mu-43.com. I don't think the data indicate whether or not more people are adopting the format; they merely say that many of those who do happen to take the format seriously and use it a lot of the time.
 
In my own usage, I find M4/3, specifically the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and associated lenses, to be quite satisfying photographically. I just wish they felt more like cameras. They certainly don't have the feeling of a traditional rangefinder - simple, quick, mechanical. They can emulate the DSLR pretty well, but not the old film SLRs. Nikon DSLR design has the same problem, in my opinion. Leica has it down. I think maybe Fujifilm does, too, but I'm not sure about that hybrid viewfinder thing, and the fact that if I mount a Leica lens, I have to focus with the electronic finder, not the optical one.
 
Any XPro-1 users out there that can comment on how Leica lenses really work on the system?
 
Feeling is why my older cameras call me. I've identified that manual focus is a big part of that feeling for me. I can use manual focus on my M4/3 cameras, and do. But, it sure isn't the same.
 
Now, I realize this is just the old man in me. Not everyone has this problem. I'm sure great grandpa hated the feel of an electric starter, preferring the tactile feedback of the manual engine crank. But, I wouldn't have wanted to take that away from him.
 
I don't know if there's a technical solution to making a M4/3 camera with the feel of a Leica or old SLR. The Olympus OM-D sure looks like an old SLR. But, I haven't tried one yet, to see if it feels like one.
 
Any Oly users out there want to comment?
 
I enjoy the form factor of the Panasonic DMC-GF1 (now replaced with the GX1), but it just looks like a rangefinder; it is not one.
 
Meanwhile, I'll keep tight grip on my wallet, and avoid that Leica urge... The best way is to get out and shoot a Leica film camera - that will fulfill my jones for tactile feedback.
 
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